Synonyms of tearing

tearing 1 of 2

adjective

as in cutting

Related Words

• cutting
• penetrating
• biting
• stinging
• shooting
• piercing
• stabbing
• tingling
• intense
• smarting
• extreme
• violent
• sharp
• acute
• vehement
• exquisite
• wrenching
• fierce
• torturing
• tormenting
• agonizing
• racking
• harrowing
• torturous
• excruciating
• raging

tearing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of tear

1

as in ripping

to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it

angrily tore the letter to shreds

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ripping
• shredding
• rending
• splitting
• breaking
• riving
• tattering
• cutting
• ribboning
• cleaving
• rupturing
• slashing
• gashing
• lacerating
• incising
• dissecting
• dismembering
• mangling
• butchering
• hacking

2

as in yanking

to separate or remove by forceful pulling

tore the book from his hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ripping
• yanking
• grabbing
• pulling
• wrenching
• snatching
• prying
• wresting
• cutting (off)
• extracting
• seizing
• severing
• snapping (up)
• forcing
• uprooting
• amputating
• lopping (off)
• jerking
• nipping
• nabbing
• dissevering
• rooting (out)
• prizing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reattaching

3

as in hurrying

to proceed or move quickly

she tore out of the room as soon as the phone started to ring

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hurrying
• speeding
• rushing
• scurrying
• flying
• zipping
• traveling
• racing
• driving
• trotting
• chasing
• jumping
• blowing
• ripping
• buzzing
• running
• scooting
• darting
• blasting
• stepping
• dashing
• scuttling
• ramming
• zooming
• bolting
• whirling
• blazing
• barreling
• shooting
• hurling
• bowling
• hurtling
• rustling
• hustling
• jogging
• hastening
• careering
• bundling
• humping
• nipping
• careening
• rocketing
• coursing
• pelting
• breezing
• whisking
• cracking (on)
• belting
• bustling
• jetting
• haring
• motoring
• galloping
• beating it
• bombing
• hying
• cannonballing
• highballing
• flitting
• stepping on it
• scampering
• getting a move on
• hotfooting (it)
• making tracks
• streaking
• shaking a leg
• scuffling
• accelerating
• sprinting
• scudding
• whizzing
• stampeding
• overtaking
• quickening
• beetling
• outrunning
• outstripping
• outpacing
• stepping out
• catching up
• arrowing
• fast-forwarding
• beelining

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• creeping
• crawling
• poking
• dragging
• lingering
• hanging (around or out)
• poking
• lagging
• strolling
• shuffling
• loitering
• dawdling
• sauntering
• ambling
• dallying
• plodding
• lumbering
• slowing (down or up)
• decelerating
• tarrying
• dillydallying

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tearing

Adjective

By acting as a biomechanical bridge, soft enough for muscle, strong enough for rigid parts, the tendons eliminate the tearing and detachment problems that have plagued previous designs. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 1 Dec. 2025

Verb

Thompson, who is preparing for his 14th NBA season, is a different player at this point of his NBA career after tearing his ACL in 2019 and then rupturing his Achilles in 2020. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026

Those include a major makeover for the first floor, including tearing out the stage to make space for a brewery. — Steve Zalusky, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026

Together, those clues matched a stellar stream tearing from a tight ball of stars called a globular cluster, pulled apart by the gravity of UGC 9050-Dw1. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Price didn’t play at all his first year in South Bend after tearing his Achilles during summer workouts in July 2022. — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Read more Cleveland Browns On August 24, new head coach Todd Monken named Deshaun Watson, who has not played since tearing his Achilles in 2024, as the Browns starting quarterback. — Nbc Sports, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026

According to the arrest report, Baker's husband told investigators that Baker struck him on the left side of his face with an open hand, then grabbed his head with both hands and bit into the right side of his ear, tearing off a portion of it. — Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

Theo Von is tearing through a bag of ballpark peanuts with shells scattered across the lap of his khaki cargo pants. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026

That Airtag was then tracked to an Amazon AI training facility in Las Vegas that housed a team focused on tearing books from their spines and scanning pages, 404 Media reported. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 17 Aug. 2026